The present invention relates to symptoms associated with aging and/or neurodegenerative dysfunctions and their treatment with relaxin.
No one can avoid aging and the effects it has on our ability to think, act and feel. Many prominent conditions are associated with aging including lack of mobility and flexibility, osteoporosis, loss of skin elasticity, respiratory distress, muscle loss, memory loss, cognitive and affective impairment, osteodegenerative impairment of the joints, and cardiac failures, etc. In addition to impairment of many body functions associated with normal aging, some people develop advanced forms of these dysfunctions. For example, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease commonly afflict the elderly population.
An estimated four million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. The disease primarily affects those over 65 years of age, particularly over age 85. Women also have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's. While there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, the list of potential agents to treat its symptoms keep growing. For example, current attempts at treatment include cholinesterase inhibitors, ginkgo, acetyl-L-carnitine, ampakines, calcium channel blockers, antioxidants, and nerve growth factors, among others.
Parkinson's disease is another debilitating malady affecting a large segment of the elderly population. Parkinson's disease is commonly characterized by rigidity of the musculature, tremors at rest, and a serious inability to initiate movement. These symptoms are likely caused by a loss of dopamine secretion and destruction of the substantia nigra, which permits hyperactivity of the acetylcholine pathways.
Given the already large elderly population, and its sure, booming growth in the United States in the next thirty years, treatments that either cure or substantially reduce the symptoms of these widespread diseases and normal aspects of aging will become quite valuable. These treatments will enable a greater segment of the population to remain active without assistance and will reduce the staggering cost of nursing and health care for these patients.